Tennessee Titans report card: Defense gets poor grade against Indianapolis Colts
INDIANAPOLIS — An uneven game doomed the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans lost 20-16 to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, their first game against an AFC South foe this season, thanks to a downright bad performance by the usually great rush defense.
Here are the Titans' grades for Sunday's game.
Offense: B
This game is a lot different if the Titans were able to gain one more yard. But the truth is the offense really wasn't a problem. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was efficient, running backs Tyjae Spears and Derrick Henry combined for a strong day and receiver DeAndre Hopkins played his best game in a Titans uniform. The offensive line held up for the most part in pass protection. But the failed fourth-and-1 rush from the 5-yard line in the fourth quarter completely changed the game.
Defense: D
Man, that was a surprise. The Titans came into the day with the NFL's No. 1 rushing defense, allowing fewer than 3 yards per carry this season. Colts running back Zack Moss obliterated that mark, carrying 23 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Even without defensive tackle Teair Tart (toe injury) in the middle of the defense, that's a staggering amount for this unit to allow.
The secondary and pass rush weren't all that much better. Cornerback Kristian Fulton got beat in the open field a couple of times, and the only Titans player to register a sack was cornerback Roger McCreary. The Colts moved the ball well, whether Anthony Richardson or Gardner Minshew was at quarterback, and the Colts' stout offensive line kept those passers upright.
Special teams: A
Another week where it was hard to find a complaint about the special teams. Kicker Nick Folk hit a 53-yarder, rookie Anthony Kendall made an impressive tackle on kickoff coverage and return man Kyle Philips brought a punt back 12 yards in his first game off injured reserve. Ryan Stonehouse's lone punt was a little shorter than normal, but 43 yards is still a big number for most punters.
Coaching: C
The decision to run Henry out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1 from the 5-yard line deserves discussion. Counting on Henry to gain a yard makes sense, but running from the shotgun where he has less of a chance to generate speed before the handoff is questionable, especially on a day where he wasn't having much success to begin with.
Beyond that, though, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly called a pretty good and interesting game, using different packages to free up Hopkins, Spears and tight end Chig Okonkwo in space. The defensive plan was a little less coherent. It's easy to make the excuse that the Titans prepared for Richardson, not Minshew. But there's no excusing not being prepared for Moss.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans report card: What happened to defense vs. Colts?
